Pulling Together
by Emi-Lynn
Summary: When McGee fears a change in his personal life threatens his place on the team, the gang pulls together to prove to him they can all make it work. First of a series. Eventual slash in the series, this story is gen with one slight nod to the slash. Complete in four chapters. Warnings for discussion of sexual abuse and racism.
1. Chapter 1

As you might have read, I'm in the process of moving, so it's hard to work on my big stories. This was for a challenge so I'm posting it now.

h/c bingo Wild Card – Group Support

And a Little Child Shall Lead Them

Story 1 – Pulling Together

"Boss?"

Gibbs looked up to see McGee standing in front of him, obviously nervous. It was only 0800 on the Friday before a weekend that the team wasn't on call. This was not a good sign. "Something you need to tell me, McGee?"

Tim stared at his feet before squaring his shoulders and facing his mentor. "Umm, yeah, I have a change in my personal life that might... no, that will probably impact my ability to do my job to the best of my abilities. I'll understand if you want me to transfer off the team."

Glancing to the side, Gibbs noted the shocked faces of the rest of the team before returning his attention to McGee. "That's a pretty drastic reaction. Mind telling me just what this change is?"

"Starting this weekend, I'll have full custody of my... of my daughter."

"You have a kid that you never mentioned to any of us before, Probie?" Tony jumped in before Gibbs could even take a breath.

McGee didn't look any of them in the eye as he explained. "The relationship ended before she realized that she was pregnant. By the time she told me, she had made the decision to do it on her own and I agreed to support her in the way she wanted and to not cause a problem."

The fact that Tim wouldn't look at him made Gibbs suspicious. "And now?"

"And now she's sick, she's dying of a brain tumor." For the first time since he'd arrived, Tim looked Gibbs square in the eye. "My daughter needs me, Gibbs, and that has to be my priority now."

Gibbs nodded slowly as he studied McGee. There was something he obviously wasn't telling them, but he was being honest in his decision about the little girl. "It doesn't have to be an either/or situation, McGee. Plenty of agents have families and make it work. We can make it work."

The first flickers of hope crossed Tim's face. "You're not kicking me off the team?"

"For stepping up and taking care of your little girl?" Gibbs gave him the 'are you an idiot" look and Tim swallowed hard as he nodded in understanding.

Tony was practically vibrating, so Ziva cut him off before he could ask the wrong question. "Tell us about your daughter, McGee. Do you have any pictures that we could see?"

"Umm, sure." McGee fumbled with his wallet for a moment before opening it to two small photos. In the first one, McGee was holding a tiny infant wrapped in a pink blanket and in the second, a little girl with light brown, curly hair and caramel colored skin gave a wide grin from her perch on Santa's lap.

"Her name is Tiana and she turned four last month. She loves ballet and I've promised her dance classes."

If any of the team was surprised at the biracial child, they didn't show it much. Tony counted backwards in his head, but couldn't come up with a former girlfriend of McGee's that fit the profile. He settled for a generic question. "We never met the mom, right?"

"No." From the stubborn set of his jaw, they could tell it wasn't a subject to pursue. Ziva quickly changed the subject.

"Have you told Abby yet?" His eyes widened and she had her answer. "Perhaps you should go tell her before she hears about it in another way."

Tim immediately looked to Gibbs, who nodded, before the younger man rushed for the elevator. Gibbs waited a few moments, then followed slowly. He still wasn't totally sure of what was going on with McGee, but he would back him up with the emotional woman.

Once they were alone in the bullpen, Tony turned to Ziva. "That's a pretty big thing to hide from us."

"Agreed, and he is still hiding something."

"Well, if anyone can get it out of him, it'll be Abby." Tony looked at Ziva, seeing the same realization on her face before they both ran for the stairs.

-NCIS-

"Hey, Abs."

"McGee, you're here bright and early, did we get a case already?" Abby looked closely at him, noting how nervous he seemed as he edged into the lab.

"No, not a case, but I have something I need to tell you – before you hear it from someone else."

Abby crossed her arms and studied him carefully. "Okay, I'm listening."

Tim blurted it all out in one breath. "I have a daughter, Abby. She's four years old and her mom is dying, so I'm going to have full custody of her. I was going to leave the team, but Gibbs says we can make it work and I really hope we can because I'm scared to do this by myself."

"No."

"Abby?"

She hated to see the hurt look on his face, but she pushed on, believing it was for the best, much like ripping a bandage off all at once. "I know you, McGee. I **know** you. You're the most obsessively careful man out there. You insist on using a condom even when you know a woman is on the pill. There's no way that you accidentally got somebody pregnant. No way, McGee."

As she ranted, Abby picked up a swab and pointed it at his mouth. "We're going to run a DNA test right now. I'm not going to let you get trapped by some floozy trying to trick you, even if she is dying. Maybe she even lied about that, too. Have you thought about that, McGee?"

"No, Abby." McGee reached out and slowly pulled the swab out of her hand. "No DNA tests."

"But..."

Still holding the swab, he pressed his finger against her mouth, neither one of them noticing the blue eyes intently watching from the doorway. McGee stared at Abby for a long time before coming to a silent decision. Eventually, he started speaking slowly and firmly. In the doorway, Gibbs listened while Tony and Ziva strained to hear from the back entrance to the lab.

"Tiana is my daughter, Abby. She is my daughter because the only other candidate is the animal that held a knife to her mother's throat and took what he wanted. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

Abby stood in shock as she took it all in. "Oh, McGee, McGee." Overwhelmed with the thought of what her friend was offering this child, she threw her arms around his neck, almost knocking him over. "That is such a wonderful thing to do, but have you really thought this through?"

McGee dropped the swab onto the table before running his fingers through his hair. "This wasn't a last minute decision, Abs. We made this decision before Tia was born, my name is on her birth certificate. I never expected something to happen to Grace, but I'm not backing out now, not when it means that bastard could get his hands on her."

"What?"

"It happens, Abby. Most states give a rapist parental rights if they impregnate their victim. A rapist uses the threat of a custody fight to get a victim to drop the charges, or to not testify against his parole. It happens more than you think, and he's up for parole in a few months."

Wide-eyed, Abby took it all in, thinking about the possibilities. "Does he know about her?"

"I'm not sure. Like I said, my name is on Tia's birth certificate and she was premature, so if he's looking at just the dates, he won't get it that way."

"Unless he gets his hands on the medical records." Abby picked up the swab and tossed it into the trash. "Okay, no DNA tests and no trail connecting any of us to him or what happened. What else can I do?"

Relieved, Tim kissed Abby's cheek. "Just be Aunt Abby and love her like she was mine."

"Because she is," Abby pulled back far enough to look at McGee, a serious expression on her face. "In every way that counts."

"Thanks, Abby." McGee turned to leave and came face to face with Gibbs. He froze for a moment, then walked past the other man and into the hallway, Gibbs falling in beside him. In the elevator. Tim wasn't surprised when Gibbs flipped the emergency switch, but the hand that came up behind him didn't slap the back of his head. Instead, it warmly cupped the back of his neck.

"Boss?"

Gibbs didn't say a word about the conversation he'd overheard, but there was no mistaking the pride on his face as he turned the elevator back on. "So, what are the plans for this weekend?"

"I'm already packed and Jethro is at the kennel. I'll drive up there as soon as we're finished tonight and spend the weekend with them. I've done that before, but this time when I drive back Sunday night, Tiana will come home with me."

"Your place ready for a kid, McGee?"

"No." Tim shook his head as he thought about how much he still had to do. "Next week, I've got to break my lease and then find a bigger place and pack and move and... and figure out child care and a pre-school and..."

"Breathe, McGee." Gibbs chuckled as his hand moved down to Tim's shoulder and he gave it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get you through it."

The elevator arrived on their floor and they stepped out to see Tony and Ziva rushing out of the stairwell. McGee immediately realized where they had been. "Gee, was there anybody not listening in my private conversation?"

Tony froze, but Ziva rushed to answer. "We were worried, McGee. You were obviously troubled and less than honest. Do not worry, the truth will stay within the team."

"And that means two more people need to know."

The rest of the team turned to look at Gibbs, waiting for him to explain his cryptic comment. "Ducky and Vance."

"Okay, I can see why Ducky might need to know, but Vance?"

"She's the legal child of one of our agents, Tony. If she could possibly be in danger, the Director needs to know the whole story." Gibbs turned to the worried new father standing next to him. "He's a father, McGee. He'll understand."


	2. Chapter 2

Twenty minutes later the team was in Vance's office while Ducky and Vance listened to the whole story. As Gibbs had suggested, they were both immediately supportive, even if they were surprised. Ducky, of course, had questions.

"Tell us, lad, when did you and Grace first meet?"

"In college." A smile ghosted across McGee's face as he thought back. "At state colleges, sixteen year old's were rare, but known. At MIT, I was the only one and that made me pretty isolated. Grace was a few years older, but as a female, black lesbian in the computer science program, she kind of stuck out, too. We looked out for each other."

Tony was still trying to piece the whole situation together in his head. "So you guys didn't actually 'date' date?"

Only McGee would blush at the suggestion that he didn't have sex. "Not like that. We were best friends, hung out together. When people assumed that we were having a relationship, we didn't argue. In her professional life, she wasn't out, so sometimes I'd pose as her date for a function, went to a few office Christmas parties over the years, stuff like that."

"Enough that none of her friends were suspicious when you claimed to be the baby's father?"

"Yes, sir." McGee nodded at the Director's question. "We didn't plan it that way, but it worked out." It was obvious that Ducky had more questions, so he turned back to the older man.

"What about Grace's family? Are they all right with you taking custody of the wee one?"

"Her mom knows the truth about Tia's biological background and has never been comfortable with Grace keeping the baby. Grace and Tiana moved back home when Grace became too ill to work, but her mom's made no secret of the fact that she wouldn't even consider raising her granddaughter."

Both Gibbs and Vance filed that tidbit away for later, but Vance had more pressing and practical concerns. "Have you started looking for a new home yet?"

"Some. I've decided to rent for now, so I can focus on pre-school, regular child care, emergency child care and getting everything else taken care of. Then I'll start looking at schools and decide what neighborhood I want to live in, long term." Elbows against the large table, McGee wearily rubbed his forehead. "There's so much I need to do, I'm not totally sure of where to start."

"This might be new to you, Tim, but some of us have been doing this for a while and HR is used to assisting families with relocating. Let us help." Vance smiled as he reached for his phone. "Have you ever met Margaret Hopkins? Her late husband was an Operational Manager for years and she's an unofficial grandmother to most of the kids around here. She opens her home when an agent gets called in the middle of the night or works extra late, so there's your emergency child care."

"And there's a child care with a pre-school program right here aboard the Yard." Tony shrugged at the shocked expressions that he even knew about the program. "I, umm, got taken to see it one day."

Having been summoned by Vance, one of the women from Human Resources followed Pamela into the room. Gibbs was quietly pleased with the support and help Vance was providing. The subtle spreading of the official version of McGee's new status as single father would make it easier in the long run.

Just how much easier became evident when less than an hour later, HR had McGee hooked up with a linguist transferring in from overseas that was happy to take over the lease on Tim's current apartment. At 11.00, Maggie Hopkins arrived with a plate of warm cookies and the information on a house for rent just a few blocks from her own home. Tim was immediately taken with the sweet woman who knew every child within the agency, so he and Gibbs followed her back to look at the house she'd suggested.

It was a cute little one story house with a covered porch and a tidy fenced yard. While Gibbs made sure everything worked and was safe, Tim checked out the layout. The master bedroom was a comfortable size, with its own bathroom and a walk-in closet. Two more bedrooms were close-by, one just directly down the hall, which would be perfect for Tiana and a second which would make a nice office. The rest of the house was an open concept, with an airy front room that opened into a compact but functional kitchen with a dining area off to the side. A set of stairs led to a basement. It wasn't quite finished enough to be considered additional living space, but it was well lit and insulated, a perfect spot for a play area. The final feature was a small laundry room that lead out to the garage.

Tim went out to the back yard, walking the fence line and checking that it would be enough for his aging but still agile dog. By the time he finished, Gibbs was finishing up a list of repairs and upgrades for the landlady.

"What do you think, McGee?"

"I like it. Nice size, quiet neighborhood, Tia can have space downstairs to dance and paint. I can have an office in the third bedroom. It looks like it's in pretty good shape." Tim peered down at the list in Gibbs' hand. Most of the items were small, a loose towel rack in one bathroom, a rubber washer needing to be replaced in the other. The biggest thing seemed to be the noisy exhaust fan in the kitchen. The landlady looked over the list also.

"My handyman is scheduled to come in next week to paint the bedrooms. If you want, he can do those repairs at the same time." She glanced at the list and then back down the hallway at the brightly colored bedrooms. "However, Mrs. Hopkins said that you needed the place almost immediately, so if you don't mind doing the painting and the repairs yourself, you can take it right now and I'll waive the security, cleaning and pet deposits."

Tim glanced at Gibbs, who gave a subtle nod, agreeing to do the repairs, saving him several thousands in the waived deposits. "That would be great, I'll take it. Do you have any color restrictions when we paint?"

She laughed as she remembered the first time she'd laid eyes on the almost neon blue and green the last tenants used in their children's bedrooms. "I don't think you could find colors worse than what's in there now. Do you have any ideas yet?"

"Tia's favorite color is pink, the color of ballet shoes. She loves to dance."

"That would be fine." She smiled at the bashful young father and made a mental note to thank Maggie for steering him to her rental.

-NCIS-

On the way back from the house, Gibbs pulled into a truck rental place. When McGee turned to him in surprise, Gibbs lightly cuffed him on the back of the head. "Don't think all your furniture is gonna fit in the back of my truck, Elflord. If we work it right, we can have you all moved in before you and Tiana get back Sunday night."

"Boss, I..." McGee watched the eyebrow go up and knew it was a lost battle already. "Thank you, this means a lot."

"We're family, McGee, it's what we do."

-NCIS-

"McGee, good, you are back." Ziva didn't even let him sit down before she started questioning him. "What bedroom furniture do you have for Tiana?"

Tim blinked at the question. "None, yet. Grace sold her toddler set when they moved. Right now they're sharing a bed."

Ziva tossed the remote to Abby. "Then tell us which set you prefer."

Abby caught the remote and brought up the first picture on the plasma. "This is your first choice, McGee." Six images were shown altogether, from punk to Dora the Explorer. When Abby finished cycling through them, she bounced on her toes. "So which one is it going to be?"

Tim shook his head. "Guys, I can't ask you..."

"Hey!" Tony's voice was sharp, but there was a supportive expression on his face. "You owe us this for all the birthdays and Christmases you made us miss, so pick a set, Probie."

In truth, one set had caught his eye, and McGee took the remote that Abby was holding out and pulled up the image of a classic white iron canopy bed. "This one – it looks like the bed in her favorite fairy tale book."

Abby looked just a tiny bit disappointed, but Ziva beamed at the choice, reminding McGee of various comments he'd heard from her over the years. He knew how much dancing had meant to Ziva as a child and suspected that she wasn't naturally the tomboy her father forced her to be. "After we get settled, would you help me find a good dance studio for her, Ziva?"

The smile on Ziva's face grew even wider. "It would be my pleasure, McGee."

"We might even get you out of here early, McGee." Gibbs was pleased with how the team had pulled together to make Tiana's joining of the family as seamless as possible. True to his word, Tim was ready to leave a few hours later. Vance called down from the catwalk just as he was shutting down his computer.

"Agent McGee, could I see you before you leave?"

"Of course, Director." Tim glanced over at Gibbs, who shrugged slightly, before heading up the stairs to follow Vance into his office.

Vance sat at his desk, fingers steepled under his chin, waiting as Tim sat across from him. Just as McGee was getting nervous, he started to speak. "Racism is an interesting thing, Tim. It's never discussed in polite society, but it's often there, under the surface."

"Yes, sir." McGee wasn't quite sure where the Director was headed.

"As a white man, it's something that you've probably never had to face, at least not directed towards you, but things could be different now."

"Because my daughter is biracial."

"If that happens, I want you to come to me, don't think you have to handle it on your own." Vance held his hand up before McGee could say anything. "I know you'll go to Gibbs first, and I don't have a problem with that, but this is territory that he won't have experience in, either."

Tim was silent for a moment before leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he spoke very frankly. "I may not have any direct experience, but I sat with Grace, held her hand, when she gave her statement about what that animal did to her. How he told her he was going to rape her straight, but she'd always be a... nig..." Tim stumbled on the vile word that had never passed his lips. Vance nodded in understanding and Tim moved on. "I may never have been the target of a racist attack, but I'm very aware of what hatred and bigotry my daughter could face."

"She's a very lucky little girl, Tim. Now, go on and get out of here." Vance waited until he was alone in his office before he let the smile escape, heartened by the fierce determination to do the right thing he'd seen in the younger man.

-NCIS-

After a few slaps on the back, hugs and one kiss sandwich from Ziva and Abby, McGee was on the road and battle plans were laid out by Gibbs. "Abby, you and Palmer head over to McGee's apartment and start the packing. A couple of the guys from Cybercrimes will meet you there to help with the electronics and Tony will join you later. Ziva, you drive my truck and pick up the bed and whatever else we need for Tiana's bedroom."

Tony snorted at the image of Ziva driving Gibbs' pickup truck, but wisely changed the subject. "What do you want me to do, Boss?"

"You and Ducky are going to the paint store with me. Tiana's bedroom is going to be ballet pink, but you're choosing the colors for the rest of the house." A rare smile flashed across Gibbs' face. "My ex-wives tell me I'm color challenged."

"Really, I hadn't noticed." Tony knew his grin would save him, at least for now. "Since Ziva's already laid claim to Tia's bedroom, I'm going take charge of McDaddy's bedroom. The man is in need of a serious update."

"Okay." Gibbs took one look at Abby's face and decided to cut her off at the pass. She and McGee might be the best of friends, but their styles were miles apart. "Abby, playroom in the basement."

"Aye Aye, Bossman." Happy with that assignment, Abby went to gather the volunteers to start packing up McGee's apartment.


	3. Chapter 3

Gibbs rolled his eyes when Tony took almost an hour to choose the new bedding and paint for the master bedroom. As one of the few people in the world that had seen DiNozzo's bedroom he was secretly amused by Tony's insistence that Tim needed an upgrade. Luckily, Ducky took over the paint choices for the rest of the house so they could leave as soon as Tony was finished.

They arrived at the house just as Ziva pulled in, the bed of the truck piled high and covered with a tarp and the seat next to her crammed full of bags. Gibbs tried to figure out what, exactly, she'd bought. "It's not that big of a bedroom, Ziva."

"I know." She jumped out of the truck and started pulling bags out from behind the seat. "You gave me the measurements, remember? I also called McGee and got Tia's sizes so we could surprise her with a new outfit or two."

Tony had gone to the passenger side of the truck and grabbed as many bags as he could carry. "Or twenty." Ziva's grin was unrepentant.

"I had fun."

If Tony had another comment to make, it was halted by the arrival of Leon and Jackie Vance, both dressed to work. Jackie had several bags in her hand while Leon was pulling out tarps and paint rollers from the back of the SUV. Jackie seemed pleased with her purchases. "I had Leon call Agent McGee for his daughter's size. I love shopping for little girls."

"Of course." Gibbs smothered a grin and helped Leon with the supplies, adding them to the ones he'd brought from his own home. Even after Tony left to help at the apartment, there were plenty of hands to share the work and by 20.30 the house was repaired, prepped and ready for painting the next day.

-NCIS-

Tony arrived just as Palmer and a vaguely familiar figure were coming down the stairs with a dresser. "Hey, Jimmy, is Abby upstairs?"

They set the large dresser down and Jimmy pushed his glasses back up on his face. "She got a lot of stuff boxed up, then she went shopping."

"Shopping?" Tony grinned, suspicious of what she was up to.

Once the door on the rental truck was open, Jimmy went to pick up one end of the dresser. "Yeah, she called McGee to get sizes for his daughter. Hey, there's a bunch of boxes upstairs, ready to bring down."

Tony took the hint and jogged up the stairs as he pulled out his phone. It was answered on the third ring.

_~4-T~_

"I have no idea what that means, but I bet it's a kids size."

_~Hey, Tony.~_

"How ya' doing, Buddy? You hanging in there, okay? Are you still on the road?"

_~Yeah, I'm just getting off the freeway right now, so I'll be there soon. How's it going there?~_

"Good, everything should be done by the time you get home. I think we might have to get a closet organizer, though, if the ladies keep shopping."

_~Yeah, about that... I appreciate what everybody is doing, and I know Mrs. Vance will chose things that are age appropriate, and Ziva probably will, but...~_

"But Abby has her own style and tends to get carried away. I get it."

_~She means well and she's so excited. I don't want to hurt her feelings or curb her enthusiasm, but I don't want to look like Scrooge to Tiana either.~_

"Don't worry, man. Uncle Tony will keep Aunt Abby reigned in."

_~Thanks, Tony, I appreciate it – well, everything. I'm glad I'm not doing this on my own.~_

"You're never on your own, Tim. Remember, the team's always got your back." Tony hated to get emotional, especially over the phone. "You shouldn't be talking and driving, so I'll talk to you later. Take care of yourself, Buddy." Once the phone call was finished, he picked up the first of the boxes and headed back downstairs.

They'd gotten about half of the truck loaded when Abby returned, the back of her roadster loaded down with bags. Tony's eyes widened, the pile made Ziva's and Jackie's look small in comparison. "Please tell me that's not all clothes."

Abby bounced out and threw her arms around Tony, giving him one of her patented hugs. "Of course not. I got a bunch of toys and art supplies for the playroom too."

"Educational toys? Because you know McGeek's going to have a smart kid."

"Well, duh." Abby tugged him over to the car and started pulling out bags to show him. "But, Tony, look at these. My favorite store has a kids section. Isn't that cool?"

Tony couldn't help but wince as he was shown tiny dog collars and platform boots. Finally, he took her hands. "Abs, you know I love you like a sister, right? And you and McGee have a very special friendship?"

"Yeah." Abby chewed on her lip as she watched Tony struggle to find the words he needed. "Too much?"

"She's four, Abby. A four year old little girl with a single father who is going to be very worried about how people look at his baby girl." He held up one of the outfits with a tiny skirt and faux corset over torn leggings. "You're a strong, confident woman who can carry this off. She's an innocent little girl that shouldn't have to learn yet about the wrong ways men can look at her. Think about it, okay?"

Abby was horrified as she looked at her purchases with new eyes. "Oh, my gosh, Tony! How could I..."

He hastily gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You were having fun, Abby. Normally, Tim would understand that, but I bet he's going to be super sensitive about being the perfect father for a while. I know I would."

"You're right, Tony. I'll take these back and get clothes she can play in and maybe a dress to wear to Church."

"That's my girl." Tony gave her a one-arm hug and handed her back the outfit he was holding. "Besides, this Fall, I'll bet you get to help with her Halloween costume." The answering grin told him compromise had been reached.

Much to Tony's surprise, Palmer was a great organizer and leader when it came to packing and moving and with Abby busy shopping he'd managed to get them ahead of schedule. Once the truck was packed full and parked in the driveway of the new house and the rest of McGee's belongings completely boxed up, they called it a day. It was early enough for Tony to do a little shopping of his own.

-NCIS-

"Oh, my God." Tony froze just inside the doors, staring at the chaos of the huge children's store. According to the ad, they carried everything from toys to clothes to furniture and he didn't have a clue where to start. Shouting to be heard over the obnoxiously cheerful music a clerk touched his arm.

"Sir, can I help you find something?"

Nodding, Tony's eyes never left the child at a nearby display of Post-Christmas sale items as the youngster rubbed his hand under his runny nose before wiping it up his pant leg. "Umm."

"Let my guess, first baby?" She didn't try to hide the amusement in her voice.

He finally looked at her. "Not me, a friend of mine. His ex is dying and all of a sudden he's got a four year old kid. Everybody is buying her clothes and toys, but..." Tony sighed and rubbed his face. "It sucks when you lose your mom and I want to find something that will help, you know?"

Tilting her head, the clerk beckoned him to follow her. Moving into an area of books and magazines, the music was quieter. The few children in this corner of the store were sitting on the floor looking at various books. She led him around a four sided bookcase and pointed out a shelf labeled grief. "These books are for helping children deal with the loss of a loved one. At that young of an age, I'd also suggest things like dress up clothes or a play doctor's kit, anything that would encourage her to act out what she's feeling if she's not able to verbalize it yet."

"Okay, thanks, I'll look at both." After the aisle of dress up clothes was pointed out, Tony returned his attention to the row of books. There were three books on the subject written for very young children and Tony grabbed one of each, along with copies of the two books written for the surviving adults.

Juggling the books, he detoured to take a cart before braving the dress up aisle. Remembering the size McGee had told him, Tony picked up one outfit only to discover that everything here was labeled small, medium and large. He turned to the teenager straightening out the racks. "Umm, she's a 4-T, would that be a small?"

"A small will be a little big, but she'll have room to grow." The answer came from a friendly grandmother at the next rack over. "They grow fast at that age, so it's always best to go a bit larger."

"Hey, thanks." Tony grinned, but she was already sidetracked, separating twin boys who were squabbling over a foam sword. He picked out the suggested doctor's outfit, complete with stethoscope, then picked out a princess costume. A firefighter costume was next, followed by a set of fairy wings and a Supergirl costume, complete with cape.

Finally finished, Tony wheeled his cart towards the check-out stands. A crowd at the rack of video games caused him to cut over one aisle, where the outside toys were located. Tony stopped and stared at the bright red, battery powered, drivable miniature Ferrari. "Oh, wow."

"Can I help you, sir?"

Tony didn't even look up. "Yeah, I think I'm going to need a bigger cart."

-NCIS-

Gibbs usually preferred smaller, locally owned businesses, but that late at night he knew his best option was a larger department store. He went straight to the luggage department and found a clerk. "Need a suitcase for a little girl."

"Of course, sir. Is this for an extended trip or just a slumber party?"

Ignoring the fact that the woman had immediately checked his hand for a ring before checking the rest of him out, he explained what he needed. "Something small enough that she can carry it by herself, big enough for a couple of changes of clothes and a teddy bear. When we're on call I want her to have a go bag just like her daddy."

Now that she knew what he was looking for, she led him around the corner to a small display. Gibbs dismissed the neon pink suitcase printed with the words _Going to Grandma's_, also the orange one covered in glittery peace signs, but behind that one was a dark green bag with large bright flowers. It was designed like what the rest of them used, with wheels and an extending handle, only smaller.

"That'll do."

His next stop was the clothing department. He hadn't called McGee for sizes, but he had checked out the bags already at the house. Unlike the ruffled tops, bright leggings and dainty shoes Ziva and Jackie had purchased, Gibbs picked up a couple pairs of jeans, some sturdy boots and a stack of practical t-shirts. He would have been done at that point, but then he saw a row of pastel colored plaid flannel shirts. He chose three – pale pink, mint green and baby blue – which necessitated swapping out some of the t-shirts to have matching sets.

Satisfied, he paid for his purchases before heading home, wondering if McGee would let him teach Tiana how to sail when she was old enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n - last chapter, with a nod to the future paring if you look closely. It's cold, wet and raining here and I have the flu but I'm in a beautiful warm house (even if it's still stacked with boxes) and about to fix a pot of chocolate cake tea. Can't argue with that. Even better, I'm almost done with the final chaper of Hello, New Years. Bet you didn't think that would ever happen? Actually, my word count for the new years is already over 10,000. Not bad, right? Of course, that's from everything I'm writing, but still I'm pleased with my progress.**

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Gibbs wasn't surprised to find Abby's car sitting in the driveway when he arrived early Saturday morning, but he was surprised to find her unloading sections of gutter, all about four feet long. "Morning, Abby."

"Hey, Gibbs, aren't these great? They're left over from the last Habitat for Humanity project I helped on." The raised eyebrow prompted her to explain. "I'm going to mount them on the wall in the playroom to use for books. That way she can see the fronts of all her books."

He frowned for a minute as he tried to visualize what she was talking about. "Instead of bookcases?"

"Yep." Abby grinned as she nodded. "Takes up a lot less space, too." Holding her bundle, she waited for Gibbs to unlock the door before bouncing in and directly down to the basement. Within the next ten minutes the rest of the team arrived, then Palmer and Breena, Ducky and the Vance's.

Right behind Vance's SUV was a large, four door truck, the name of a local painting contractor on the side. Harry, the guard from the front entrance, jumped out of the passenger side while a younger version of him climbed out from behind the wheel. "Hey, Agent Gibbs, like you to meet my son, Tommy."

Gibbs shook the young man's hand. "Tommy, good to finally meet you. Your dad talks about you all the time, real proud of the business you've started."

"Thanks, Agent Gibbs." Tom's grip was firm and dry. "Dad talks about your team all the time, too. Since our morning job got pushed back a few hours, I thought we'd stop by and give you a hand." As he spoke, four young men in coveralls climbed out of the truck and started unloading gear from the bed.

Ziva and Jackie started on Tiana's bedroom while Gibbs and Tony took on the master bedroom. Ducky and Leon worked on the office, leaving the Palmers to help Abby with the playroom. The professional crew took over the painting of the open concept living space and kitchen. By noon they were finished and the painting crew even took a few minutes to help unload the larger pieces of furniture before they left.

"Is this all the furniture he has?" Vance stared at the small sofa and one table that sat in the living room.

Tony came out of the bedroom when he heard the question. "For the living room? Yeah, that's pretty much it. He's got some old beat up shelves, but they'll probably go down in the basement. There's a chair in the bedroom, do you want that out here?"

Vance followed Tony back to the bedroom to take a look. The old blue chair definitely looked out of place against the sophisticated bedding Tony had bought for his friend, but it wouldn't look much better in the living room and Vance shook his head. "That chair should go down in the basement, too. We need to find him some furniture."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance in that regards?" Ducky came out of the office, peering around them to look at the chair in question. "I have a great deal of furniture sitting in storage from downsizing. The most precious antiques and family heirlooms are with me at the townhouse, but I have some lovely pieces I'd be happy to give to Timothy."

Once Ducky and Vance left with Jimmy and the truck, the rest returned to their individual projects. When the truck pulled back into the driveway several hours later, Gibbs and Tony went out to help unload. The first thing out of the truck was an oversized black leather recliner and both Tony and Gibbs stared at it. Gibbs was the one to finally speak. "Don't remember this at your place, Ducky."

It was Vance that answered, rubbing the side of his face. "Yeah, well, Jackie's been after me to get rid of this so she can re-do the den. There's a lot of life left in that chair and it's the perfect size for reading a bedtime story."

Gibbs nodded as he remembered his own well loved and well used recliner and the nights Kelly would go to sleep cuddled up against him as he read to her. Ex-wife number one had given it to Goodwill while he'd been on assignment, a sore spot that had never healed over the rest of their short marriage. "Yeah, he'll get a lot of use out of that."

Besides the chair from Vance, the trip to Ducky's storage locker had yielded several large wooden bookcases for the office, coffee and end tables for the living room and the simple pine table and chairs that had once sat in the Mallard family breakfast room. Away from the ornate dishes and lace doilies the plain lines took on a more modern feel, fitting the rest of the house.

Satisfied with the progress on the main level, Gibbs went down to check on Abby. Several of their Cybercrime helpers from the day before were here now and Abby was busily handing out tasks. The gutters were mounted on the wall and already filled with coloring books and simple reading books. One corner of the room held a square table, just the right height for a preschooler to sit and color, bins of art supplies at the ready.

"Lookin' good, Abs."

"Thanks, Gibbs." She pointed out an alcove behind the furnace room. "We're setting that area up for the computers McGee likes to tinker with. Think of you, but with wires instead of sawdust."

"Cute, Abby." Nevertheless, Gibbs went around the corner to see several of the guys from Cybercrimes loading McGee's big shelving unit with various components and parts while others were assembling a large, new workbench to go against the far wall. Everything was well organized in containers that appeared to also be brand new.

The head of Cybercrimes was there and shrugged at Gibbs. "McGee never bats an eye at pulling an extra load to give us a hand when we need it. We figured this was the least we could do."

"Thanks, he'll appreciate all this."

Slow and steady, the rental house was being turned into a home. Shifts of helpers came and went, but the team was the last to leave Saturday night and the first to arrive Sunday morning. Ducky arrived with several large boxes that he handed over to Ziva. She gave him a very un-ninja like squeal and hug before vanishing into Tiana's bedroom with her new treasure.

Gibbs gave him the eyebrow and Ducky gave a sad smile and a cryptic answer. "Mother always wanted a granddaughter for tea parties."

Leon and Jackie Vance arrived mid-afternoon, carrying several large, bright blue bags. Jackie handed hers over to Gibbs and went to check on Ziva's progress. Grinning as Gibbs looked in the bags, Vance explained. "McGee's got some pretty good kitchen stuff, in fact he's got the blender that Jackie's been hinting at for years, but he's definitely got bachelor dishes."

"Jackie decided he needed an upgrade." Gibbs was grinning, too.

"And it was an excuse to drag me to her favorite store, but I got Swedish Meatballs out of the deal."

"Can't argue with that." The two men unpacked and washed the dishes, glasses and silverware. Vance started to put them away when Gibbs stopped him. "McGee's left handed."

The two men thought for a moment, then decided the best layout before filling the cabinets and drawers.

Once the rest of the work was winding down, Gibbs returned to his truck for the security devices he'd picked up. Replacement smoke detectors, new carbon monoxide detectors and window safety latches were carefully placed and installed. When Gibbs was satisfied, he and the team settled down to wait.

-NCIS-

Breena arrived with dinner for the crew around 19.30. Ducky suggested that it wasn't necessary for quite so many people to be at the house waiting for McGee and Tiana to arrive home. Only Jimmy, Breena and the crew from Cybercrimes took the hint, leaving the rest of the team and the Vance's waiting. Vance shrugged as he looked at Ducky. "We won't stay long, I just want Agent McGee to know that it's perfectly all right for him to take a few days of personal time to get settled into his new routine."

"Appreciate that, Leon." Despite the smirk, Gibbs really did. It was important for McGee to know his job was still secure.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, they're here." If they hadn't heard the Porsche pull into the driveway, Abby's excited announcement left no doubt. The group waited on the porch until McGee was out of the car. Tony casually took Abby's hand, keeping the excited Goth from charging the car and allowing Gibbs to greet the new family.

"McGee."

"Hey, Boss."

Gibbs took an appraising look at his exhausted man. "Rough weekend?"

"Yeah." Tim met Gibbs at the front of his car, speaking just loud enough for the rest of the group to hear, even if they had to strain. "Grace slipped into a coma this afternoon. Luckily, I took Tia to see her this morning, but she's too young to understand."

Nodding in silent understanding, Gibbs watched as Tim moved to the passenger side of the car. With incredible tenderness and obvious experience, Tim unbuckled his sleeping daughter from her car seat and lifted her. Little Tia barely stirred, just rubbed her cheek against his shoulder before stilling.

Tim kissed the top of her head. "Hey, baby girl, we're home."

"Home?" Her eyes didn't open. "Is Mama here?"

"No, sweetheart, do you remember?" Tim squeezed his eyes shut as he kissed her head again. "You're going to live with Daddy now. You want to see your new bedroom?"

That seemed to wake the little girl up and she raised her head, blinking as she took in all the faces around her as the team had been inching forward. Gibbs gave them the look. "Give her some space, people."

Abby made a giggling comment about 'Papa Gibbs' that caught Tiana's attention. "Daddy, I have a Papa, too?"

Knowing why she'd made the connection, Tim decided to distract her for now. "Not like Billy, sweetheart. Let's meet everyone and go inside, okay?"

Popping her thumb into her mouth, Tia sleepily looked around and gave a little wave with her other hand as Tim started the introductions. "Everyone, this is Tiana Caitlin McGee, my daughter."

He watched the reactions to her middle name before continuing. "Tia, this is your Uncle Tony, and your Aunt Abby and Aunt Ziva." The ladies beamed and Tony wiggled his fingers at Tia, making her giggle.

Tim next turned to Ducky, hesitating slightly as he hadn't discussed any of this with the rest of them. Ducky smiled and stepped closer. "I am your Grandpa Ducky."

"I have a grandpa? Like Amy and Jason? He can go to school with me?"

Knowing an explanation was in order, Tim spoke. "Her old preschool had Grandparent's day once a month."

Ducky seemed pleased at that. "I will look forward to it, Tiana."

Jackie jumped in, not wanting the formal relationship between her husband and McGee to color their relationship with the little girl. "Hello, sweetheart, I'm your Aunt Jackie and this is your Uncle Leon."

When Vance didn't look surprised or upset, Tim mouthed a thank you to them both before turning back to Gibbs. "Tia, this is..."

"Papa." Tia reached out for Gibbs with both hands.

Gibbs grinned, as much at the pronouncement as the embarrassed look on McGee's face, as he took her. "Works for me."

After her hug and kiss, Tiana immediately went back to her father and they followed the team into the house. Stepping inside, Tim stopped and stared in amazement. After a few seconds, Tia wiggled and demanded down. Once down, she circled around the living room as the adults smiled at the adorable picture she made in her footed pajamas. "Our home, Daddy?"

Tim looked almost as amazed as Tia. "Yeah. This is our home." He knew they wouldn't arrive home to a stack of boxes, but this was beyond his wildest dreams. "Guys, I don't know what to say, this is... this is..."

Tony rescued him with a one-armed hug. "This is what family does for each other."

Trying to take it all in, Tim looked around closely. His sofa was there, but a recliner he didn't recognize was also in the room, a stack of bedtime books ready and waiting on the table next to it. In the dining area his tiny, battered table and pair of chairs had been upgraded to a larger table with six chairs, a wire basket of fresh fruit sitting in the middle of the table. In the kitchen, the gadget loving man's various cooking toys were lined up, ready for him to use.

Ziva couldn't wait any longer. "Tiana, would you like to see your bedroom?" She glanced up at McGee, and after his approving nod, Ziva took Tia's hand and led her to the bedroom, stopping in the middle of the room. "What do you think? Do you like it?"

Tiana turned in a circle, taking it all in. "Mine? All mine?"

"All yours, baby girl." Tim was amazed, yet again, but his focus was on Tia's reaction as she walked through the room, reverently touching everything as she went.

"Daddy, it's a princess bed." She ran her fingers over the lace sheers that hung from the canopy frame all the way to the floor. "Just like in my storybook."

"It sure is. Do you like it?"

She nodded, her thumb going back in her mouth, but coming right back out when she saw what was on the other side of the bed. "Daddy, tea party!"

Ducky knew that somewhere his mother was very happy as he watched little Tia run to the table they'd set with the child's tea set Victoria Mallard collected many years ago. Four tiny chairs surrounded the white table that was painted to match the bedding and curtains. Three of the chairs were occupied by two dolls and a stuffed bunny, all wearing fancy hats, waiting for their mistress. The fourth chair was ready for the lucky little girl and she reverently sat down, picking up the hat next to her teacup.

It didn't take any of his honed detective skills for McGee to know who'd been responsible for the bedroom and the tea party as he watched his friends watching Tiana. After giving her a few minutes to play, he got her attention. "Honey, I think Grandpa Ducky and Aunt Ziva and Aunt Jackie deserve a big thank you for this, don't you?"

"Thank you, thank you." Tia ran from Ducky to Jackie to Ziva, hugging each of them. Ziva could tell that Abby was feeling a little left out, so she moved them along.

"Tiana, Aunt Abby has a surprise waiting for you downstairs. Are you ready to go see it?"

After one last look at the tea set, Tia nodded and took Abby's offered hand. Arriving down in the basement, Tia's eyes were huge as she looked around. "Wow, wow, Daddy, wow."

Tim had to agree with his daughter's amazement. What had been a cold empty space was now warm and inviting with sunny yellow walls and a brightly colored striped rug on the floor. Paper, paint and crayons were awaiting her on the table along with bins of every kind of children's art supply he could imagine. In the corner a row of metal gutters acted as narrow shelves, corralling an assortment of books. A small bean bag chair was awaiting Tiana beneath them. In the transitional area between child and adult space, McGee found his old chair, giving him a spot to relax while watching his little girl play.

Beyond that was the adult workspace. Although Tim's attention was definitely on Tia, he walked through the area, his fingers trailing across the new workbench, a shy smile on his face. By now Tiana had found the dress-up clothes and Abby was helping her try on the fairy wings.

"Your Uncle Tony got you all these play clothes, Tia." Abby had already gotten a few hugs over the playroom, but everyone chuckled when Tiana barreled into Tony, giving him a tight hug, especially when a wing slapped him in the face.

Abby wasn't quite done. "There's one more surprise in the garage." Taking Tiana's hand, Abby led the way. It was a two car garage, mostly empty. One bay was ready for the Porsche, while in the other was parked a tiny red sports car. By now Tiana was absolutely speechless as she climbed into the driver's side.

"Thanks, Tony."

"How do you know it was me?" Tony snickered as Tiana figured out how to make the car move and almost ran over Vance's toes.

Tim had to grin at his friend's coy attempt to sidestep the thanks. "It's a miniature version of what Magnum drove."

"Yeah, well," Tony shrugged as he watched the antics. "It was a Ferrari, how could I pass that up?"

They both returned their attention to the antics as Vance's feet survived another near miss and Tim stepped in. "I think that's enough for tonight. Tomorrow, when it's light, we'll take it outside where there's more room – and Aunt Ziva is not going to be teaching you to drive."

Ziva laughed as she pretended to be insulted, while the others laughed in relief. Tim scooped Tia up and she sat on his hip as they went through the rest of the house, showing her where the bathroom was and where her daddy would sleep. Tony and Ducky both gave silent nods to Tim's whispered thanks at the rest of the house as they all kept their focus on Tia's needs.

She was obviously flagging, so Tim carried her to her room and tucked her in with a few of the stuffed animals. The team listened in from the hall. "It's been a long day. Time for bed, Sweetheart. Do you like your new home?"

Hugging her animals close, Tia made a little sound of pleasure, then her eyes opened wide. "Daddy, where is Mommy going to live?"

Tim's breath caught as he rubbed her back. Out in the hallway, breaths were also held. "Sweetheart, do you remember what Mommy's doctor told you?"

"But what if she gets better?"

"Then we'll get a bigger house." Tim bent down and kissed her face. "But for the two of us, I think this house is just about perfect. What do you think?"

"Mmm, perfect."

He could tell she was getting sleepy and kept rubbing her back as her words started coming slower.

"Lots of family, just like..." A yawn, then a smile. "Just like in my storybooks."

"That's right, Tiana. We have a family that will always be here for us." Tim looked over his shoulder at his friends and smiled as he continued to speak. "Our family is going to make sure that we're just fine."

_~Fin~_

A busy weekend for the team. Monday morning brings us to – _The Wings of an Angel_.


End file.
